may feduce thee alfo from thy Obedience, that thou bereav'd of Happiness may'ft partake with him his Punishment, which is eternal Mifery; this would be his greatest Delight and Revenge, as in Defpite against the moft HIGH, once to gain thee to be the Companion of his Woe. But do not thou liften to his Temptations; warn EvE, who in the Capacity of her Mind is weaker than thee: Let it be of Service to thee, to have heard by terrible Example, what the Reward of Difobedience is; they might have stood firm, and yet they fell: Do thou bear that in Mind, and fear to tranfgrefs the Command laid upon thee.

The End of the Sıхти Воок.

THE

THE

SEVENTH BOOK

O F

PARADISE LOST.

R

The ARGUMENT.

APHAEL, at the Request of Adam, relates how and wherefore this World was firft created; that GOD after the expelling of Satan and his Angels out of Heaven declared his Pleafure to create another World, and other Creatures to dwell therein. GOD fends his Son with Glory and Attendance of Angels to perform the Work of Creation in fix Days: The Angels celebrate with Hymns the Performance thereof, and his Re-Afcenfion to Heaven,

CHAP.

CHAP. I.

Raphael tells Adam how and why the World was first created.

ESCEND from Heaven, Thou holy Spirit, by fome call'd. URANIA! (a) following whofe divine Voice, I foar above the Flights feign'd of PEGAsus, (b) above the Top of OLYMPUS, I call upon the Meaning, and not the Name; for Thou art not one of the nine Mufes, nor do'ft Thou dwell on Mountains, but born in Heaven before either the Hills appear'd, or Fountains flow'd; Thou didst converfe with eternal Wisdom thy Sifter, and with her didft rejoice in the Prefence of the Almighty FATHER, who was pleas'd with thy heavenly Song. Led up by Thee, I have prefum'd to vifit the Heaven of Heavens, though but an Earthly Guest, and breath'd celestial Air, temper'd by Thee to my Nature: Do Thou, guiding me down with like Safety, return me to my natural Element, left I fall, (as once BELLEROPHON (c) did) difmounted on

(a) Urania; Lat. Gr. i, e. Heavenly; one of the nine Mufes, the Goddess of Aftronomy, and of all heavenly Things. She is reprefented crown'd with Stars, and a great Globe in her Hands; to fhew, that the teaches the Way to Heaven.

(b) Pegafus, Gr. i. e. A Faun tain; the winged Horfe of the Poets: Becaule it is faid, He opened the Fountain, Hippocrene, i. e. The Fountain of the Horse, by a Kick of his Heels, and flew up to Heaven. This was a Well of Baetia, near Helicon, dedi

the

cated to Apollo and the Mufes.

(c) Bellerophoz; Lat. Gr. i. e. A Murderer of Beller, his Brother. Perfeus the Son of Glau cus King of Corinth is fo called. He was a noble Youth, and after many Exploits, being defirous of flying up to Heaven by the Help of his Horfe, was caft down headlong by Jupiter; and by the Fall he was made blind. Then he lived a wandering Vagabond Life; like another Cain, and died with Hunger, about A. M. 2€93.

the ALEIAN (d) Field, there to wander erroneous and forfaken: There yet remains Half unfung; but now I may fing more fafely of narrower Bounds within the vifible diurnal Sphere, ftanding upon the Earth, and not being carried away beyond this World; and though with mortal Voice, yet unchang'd to hoarfe or mute; though fallen upon evil Days and among evil Tongues, in Darkness, and encompafs'd round with Dangers and Solitude, yet am I not alone, while Thou vifits my Slumbers nightly, or at earliest Break of Day. Do Thou great Spirit ftill direct and govern my Thoughts and Words, and though but a few, find for me a fit Audience. But drive far off the Revellers of BACCHUS, the Race of that wild Rout, that tore ORPHEUS (e) to Pieces, in Woods where they and Rocks (it was faid) had Ears, and were charm'd, 'till the favage Clamour drown'd both Harp and Voice; nor could his Harmony defend him: So fail not Thou who now implores Thee, for Thou art heavenly, and his feign'd Mufe only an empty Dream. Teach me to relate what follow'd, when RAPHAEL, the fociable Arch-Angel, had forewarn'd ADAM to beware of Apoftacy, or Falling away from GoD into Sin, by a fad Example of what had befell in Heaven to thofe apoftate Angels, left the like fhould befall in PARADISE to him or to his Race, if they tranfgrefs'd and flighted that only Command, which was fo eafily obey'd; being only charg'd not to touch the forbidden Tree, amidst the Choice of all other Fruits to please their Appetite with all Variety,

ADAM

(d) Aleian, of Aleia; Lat. Gr. i. e. Wandering. A Field in Cilicia, where it is faid, that Perfeus wandered after his Fall from Heaven.

(e) Orpheus, was torn in Pieces by the Ciconian or Thracian Women, when they celebrated the Feafts of Bacchus.